Paul
by SEZCPL
Summary: Fifteen years after he left SJST, Paul runs into a former student. (Revised 2012)


It wasn't that he didn't like conferences. It was just the impersonal aspect of hotels he found uncomfortable. He found himself clinging to the presence of the two colleagues whose acquaintance he had made at the beginning of the week: Dwayne and Eddie. Paul smirked to himself. "Dwayne and Eddie" sounded like some country/hill-billy band from his youth.

Then the smile disappeared as he remembered just how far away his youth was these days.

Not that Paul was old, but twenty years of teaching computing and the lessons of life to high school kids had taken its toll – particularly on his mid-riff. He wondered why he still attended these "Counselling the young" conferences. He had enough "educational" experiences to write a book.

Particularly if he thought back to those five years he spent at Sir John Sparrow Thompson in London!

Maybe it was the thought of his time in Canada which meant she was already in his mind, or maybe her face was so familiar he would never forget her, but it came as a bit of a shock when he looked up in the hotel foyer and straight into the eyes of one of his former students.

She was standing across from him near the courtesy seating and she was regarding her wristwatch. Older than he remembered her of course, but still beautiful. He had thought at the time he taught her that if he had not been happily married already and, more importantly, her teacher it would have been easy to develop a _thing_ for her. (Fortunately, common sense prevailed. His wife would have cut off parts of his anatomy if he had ever seriously considered it. Paul smiled lovingly at the thought of his wife.)

Here the girl was again, some fifteen years since he had last seen her, and she hadn't changed a bit!

The eyes smiled in recognition and he excused himself from his far-less-interesting companions and crossed the foyer slowly.

"Casey." he said warmly.

"Paul! How good to see you!" Her voice had matured. It was no longer the impassioned call for him to sort out her life, just a recognition that said she remembered him fondly.

"I'm surprised you recognised me." Paul admitted.

"Hey. I spent a lot of time in your office sounding off, how could I not recognise you? You're looking well." Yes, she may well look exactly as he remembered her, but this Casey had definitely matured.

"And so are you. Hardly changed a bit." She was still slim, her skin good but well-looked after and Casey had always known how to dress. She looked stylish in clothes that were evidently new.

"Flatterer. Not bad for a mom of four am I though?" Casey laughed but her eyes were keen to see his reaction. Paul did not disappoint. His own eyes widened and he gasped.

"Four! Wow! God! Now I feel really old!"

They chuckled together, the warmth still there. Casey felt the need to explain.

"I'm here on a second honeymoon with my husband." She told him. "You're here for the teacher's conference?"

Paul nodded. "Yeah. More for the week away from school than to actually learn something."

"I suspect you could probably tell them a thing or two." Casey smiled. "Especially about sibling rivalry. I see from the board there's a seminar this afternoon."

Paul laughed. "Indeed. I'm the guest lecturer." Casey looked taken aback - but still amused.

Paul went on. "How _is_ Derek? Still pranking you?"

"Derek is Derek. The day I got married he had someone pin a sign to the back of my wedding dress. it said, "For sale, one careful owner, comfortable ride." Recently, someone made the mistake of putting him in charge of a Beaver scout patrol – the first week I discovered he'd gotten hold of one of my bras and hoisted it on the flag pole. Needless to say the scouts thought he was fantastic."

Paul chuckled. "He always did have style."

"You used to enjoy my tales a lot didn't you?" Casey said softly, with an affectionate tone.

"Oh yeah. Highlight of my week. Some days you used to come in, blast out a whole story, talk yourself into the solution and turn round and walk out again. I never got a word in!" Paul reminded her. Casey looked uncomfortable.

"Sorry." She said.

"Don't be. Casey, I dealt with suicidal teens, abuse, exam nerves, people discovering their sexuality. By contrast, your issues with your step-brother were mild and rather entertaining."

Reassured, Casey laughed. "Klutzilla strikes again; always the spectacle. Did you have a favourite anecdote?"

Paul nodded. "Actually, I think the day that the superglue prank back-fired and you and Derek ended up with your hands glued to each other for the entire day."

She nodded. "You try going to the bathroom with your brother attached to you."

There was a pause in the conversation and Paul looked at his former student as she ran her fingers through her hair, thoughtfully. He noticed the wedding and engagement rings on her finger and wondered how her husband dealt with Derek.

"Did you ever work things out? Has he mellowed at all?" Paul asked. Casey shrugged.

"We reached an amicable truce. As he gets older, he's begun to run out of pranks. I'm starting to see some of the old favourites return."

"I bet he's a bad influence to his nephews and nieces."

Casey grinned. "He drives Lizzie crazy with her two. Edwin, to Lizzie's annoyance, is a bit more tolerant of the way uncle Derek is with their kids– well you know what Ed was like when he was at SJST, hardly whiter than white."

Paul chuckled. "Derek had the edge over Edwin though. His little stunt at graduation is still talked about in the staff room I believe. The funny thing is Lassiter talks about him with fondness."

"I never understood that. How anyone could be won over by the Venturi charm." Casey looked thoughtfully into the distance.

"That's because you are family. You're immune." A third voice joined in and a pair of hands slipped lovingly around Casey's waist from behind. The attached pair of lips caressed the curve of her ear. Casey smiled and weaved her hands into the ones possessing her.

"Paul. You remember my husband?" She said, leaning back into her partner's arms.

Paul choked back a laugh and held out his hand to be shaken.

"Derek." He acknowledged. "Nice to see you again."

And he felt like he'd finally been pranked by a Venturi – again after all these years - and she didn't look at all repentant.


End file.
